Etymologically
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inflo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈĩː.fɫoː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈiɱ.flo][1]

Forms

īnflō (present infinitive īnflāre, perfect active īnflāvī, supine īnflātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from in- and flō “to blow”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of puffing out, and Plautus has age, iam īnflā buccās “come on, puff out your cheeks”.[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to fill with air, inflate, puff out, as in Plautus, and of the wind to blow on, as in Lucilius, and Cato has aquam in ōs īnflāre.[2][6] In Varro it meant to blow a wind instrument, in Virgil to swell, of a river, and in Cicero to puff up with conceit.[2]

It survives in Italian enfiare, Spanish inchar and Romanian umfla, and its participle īnflātus gave English inflate in the early 15th century, “to cause to swell”.[1][3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][5]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of wind instruments.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of conceit.[2][5]
  • early 15th century – English inflate is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To blow on.[2]
  2. To inflate, puff out.[2]
  3. To blow (an instrument).[2]
  4. To swell.[2]
  5. To puff up (with pride).[2]

Word family

  • adīnflō
  • inflamen
  • īnflātiō
  • inflātus
  • subinflo
  • īnflātilis

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.